Inmate found dead in cell; no evidence of foul play

An inmate at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center, along Carson City’s southern border, was found dead Wednesday night in his cell.

Richard J. Chavez, 43, was a patient at the Regional Medical Facility at NNCC where he was recently transferred from Ely State Prison.

Prison spokesman Fritz Schlottman said he was to be treated for a medical condition and returned to Ely.

Chavez, a New Mexico resident, was serving consecutive life terms for sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping, plus two more life terms for the use of a deadly weapon. He committed the crime in Las Vegas and was convicted by a Clark County jury.

Guards found him hanging in his cell at the medical center. Schlottman said the inspector general’s office was investigating the death and the circumstances surrounding it. However, he said there was no evidence of foul play at this point.